I am not satisfied.[Do express your reasons for any of your choice. ]

I am starting this dedicated thread to compile everything related to Indian Coast Guard at one place. It will also serve to educate us all on the role , importance and capability addition of our Coast Guard which is today more important as India seeks to safeguard its economic rise.

Coast Guard ships and aircraft undertake regular patrols to keep the Offshore Development Areas (ODAs), on both the Eastern and Western seaboard under surveillance.

2. Protection of Fishermen

Coast Guard ships and shore establishments conduct regular Community Interaction Programmes (CIPs) to apprise the fisher-folk about safety measures to be adopted at sea. Information regarding upkeep and maintenance of boats and fishing gear is also imparted. Maritime security related aspects are also disseminated to fisherfolk.

3. Assistance to Fishermen in Distress at Sea

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCCs) co-located with RHQs, coordinate the Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts undertaken by Coast Guard units. Effective liaison is also maintained with the concerned state government departments for expeditious launch of SAR missions and their successful culmination.

4. Preservation and Protection of Marine Environment

The Indian Coast Guard is engaged with environmentalists for preservation and protection of the marine environment, including flora and fauna.

5. Prevention and Control of Marine Pollution

The Indian Coast Guard conducts regular training for all stakeholders and oil agencies, and continuously validates various contingency plans to prevent environmental damage in case of marine oil-spills. It has developed the capability to be the "first-responder" for oil-spills in Indian waters.

6. Assisting the Customs and other authorities in anti-smuggling operations

The Indian Coast Guard, in coordination with the Customs and other enforcement agencies, undertakes operations to prevent ingress and egress of contraband, and other items on the banned list.

7. Enforcement of Maritime Laws in Force

Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft undertake regular patrols to enforce maritime laws, and other regulations and international treaties to which India is a signatory.

8. Safety of Life and Property at Sea

Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft operations mitigate the effect of maritime accidents, and help in ensuring safety and security from natural or man-made disasters.

9. Collection of Scientific Data

Whilst on patrol, ICG ships collect relevant information regarding meteorological and oceanographic data for analysis and use by the scientific fraternity.

The Indian Coast Guard organisation is headed by the Director-General (DG ICG) who is located at Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ), New Delhi. At CGHQ, he is assisted by four Deputy Director-General's of the rank of Inspector-General, and other senior officers heading various staff divisions. The current Director-General is Rajendra Singh, PTM, TM.

The Indian Coast Guard has recently got its first three-star rank officer ADG Rajendra Singh Additional Director-General, PTM, TM, who has the distinction of being the first regular direct entry officer of the Indian Coast Guard to be promoted to the rank of ADG on 11 Jan 2013. Additional Director-General of Indian Coast Guard is equivalent to Vice Admiral of Indian Navy.

The Indian Coast Guard operates five regions. Each region is headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector-General. Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastal state or a union territory.

Being an Ex Indian Navy officer, I have always had great respect for Coast Guard as they were the first one to arrive over me in Arabian sea after my first ejection from fighters and saved me from being the breakfast of a school of baby sharks. I respect them even more as my daughter will soon be flying DO-228 with them as Asstt. Cmdt.

Dornier 228 is a twin engine turboprop, highly versatile multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft manufactured by M/s HAL for the Indian Coast Guard. The aircraft is lightweight with wide range of operating speeds and fuel efficient uniqueness.

2.HAL Chetak

Active :- 18

The Chetak (SE 3160 ALOUETTE III) helicopter is a high performance aircraft. It is an improved version of Alouette II, designed and manufacture in France and is now being manufactured under license by M/s HAL Ltd.

3. HAL Dhruv

Active :- 4
On order :- 16

The helicopter can carry troops and can also be utilsed in air ambulance role. The helicopter is capable of carrying external cargo of upto 1500 kg. Dhruv The ICG is utilized in the following roles:-

(a) Causality Evacuation
(b) Search & Rescue
(c) Coastal Security

4.EC725

To be ordered :- 14

Ground Based Medium Weight Multi Role Helicopters. Will support Search and Rescue , emergency evacuation , pollution control and EEZ patrolling. Will operate from ground based coast guard stations.

Planned light helicopters to be procured to replace ageing Chetaks. The winner of NLUH competition will likely be chosen.

PS :- The above data has been gathered from numerous sources , including Coast Guard Website , PIB releases , News Portals , etc . Some of it may not be considered reliable by some. I am not claiming it to be 100% correct.

The equipment on board is used for containment, recovery, separation and dispersal of pollutants. High tech control systems enable simultaneous tasks to be performed by a single operator. The vessel is be fitted with latest pollution control equipment including two rigid sweeping arms enabling it to contain oil spill whilst in motion. An advanced software would assist in predicting the spread of the complex oil spill pattern. The vessel is designed to recover the lightest to the most viscous oil at the rate of 300 tons per hour. The contaminated water can be pumped on board and analysed in a laboratory. The oil can then be separated and held in storage tanks of 300 tonnes capacity or 1000 tonnes in inflatable barges which can be towed behind the vessel to free up deck space. The vessel is also equipped with fire fighting and salvage systems.

The secondary role includes peace time patrolling, firefighting and salvage. For maritime law enforcement, EEZ surveillance, anti smuggling, fishery protection, search & rescue and high speed interdiction it is equipped with CRN 91 Naval Gun, light helicopter, five High Speed Boats and four Water Scooters. An Infra Red Surveillance System is also installed on-board providing additional capability for the ship’s crew to detect targets in the night. The vessels are also equipped with fire fighting and salvage systems.

These are the oldest OPV class active in ICG as of today.
They carryout a range of different tasks as ICG requires and further even supports Naval operations in anti piracy, training mission , etc.

The vessels are equipped with pollution control equipment, two firefighting monitors, a four-tonne crane. They also carry diving equipment, two RIB inspection crafts, a grp launch station, and a hangar for a light helicopter. The Vikram-class vessels have an air-conditioned accommodation for a crew of 11 officers and 85 enlisted sailors.

The vessels in this Class are 102 meters long with a beam of 11.6 meters. They are powered by two Kirloskar-SEMT-Pielstick diesels engines (8000-hp) driving two propellers and have a range 7000 nm at cruising speed of 15 knots. The Samar class ships feature an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), high power External Fire Fighting System, two Indian-built 30mm gun mounts and one 76mm OTO Melara dual-purpose gun. Besides, the ships are provided with a BEL-made onboard day/night infrared surveillance system to detect elusive targets which can evade radar detection due to their small Radar cross-section (RCS) or higher sea state.

Each ship carries a single Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), with dedicated hangar and flight deck, and five high speed boats. The vessels also have towing capacity for salvage and Inmarsat satellite communications. They have accommodation for a crew of 12 officers and 112 enlisted sailors. Additional accommodation has also been provided for passengers.

The ships in this class are 93.6 metres (307 ft 1 in) in length and are equipped with a 30 mm CRN 91 Naval Gun for policing the Exclusive Economic Zone. The vessels are designed to be propelled by two MTU engines delivering 18,000 kW (24,000 hp) of power and have a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at a cruising speed of 12–14 knots (22–26 km/h; 14–16 mph).

Their features include an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), Power Management System (PMS), High Power External Fire Fighting System (ABS Fi-Fi Class-1) and one indigenous Close Range Naval Gun (CRN-91) along with an optical fire control system. They carry one helicopter and five high speed boats. The ships are also fitted with advanced Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

They are fitted with most advanced equipment with state of the art technology for man-machine interface to reduce manual handling of machineries and equipment. The special feature include an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), Power Management System (PMS), High Power External Fire Fighting System (ABS Fi-Fi Class-I), Voice Data Recorder and two indigenous 30 mm CRN 91 Gun Mounts along with fire control system. The ship is designed to carry one twin Engine ALH helicopter and five high speed boats for search & rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol. The Infrared system installed onboard enables ships crew to detect targets in night that will evade radar detection due to small size or higher sea state. This has given an additional upper edge over most of the ships designed for maritime security.

No of Vessels Planned :- 11
No of Vessels Active :- 03
Builders :- GSL
Displacement:- 2,450 Tons
Armaments:- 1x CRN91, Heavy Machine Guns
Features include Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), Power Management System (PMS) and High Power External Fire Fighting System. They are designed to carry one twin engine Light Helicopter and five high speed boats including two Palfinger QRIBs for fast boarding operations, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol. The class is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment to combat oil spill contamination at sea.

The vessels are equipped with a long-range gun and ultra-modern vessel control, navigation and communication tools. The vessels are capable of 7 days' continuous deployment at sea without replenishing. These FPVs are small in size when compared to the large vessels that Cochin Shipyard has built. But designing and building these vessels posed challenges to the yard as these are extremely weight-sensitive vessels. Hence extensive use of aluminium in the superstructure has been made, and Cochin Shipyard has developed special techniques to ensure high-quality welding and fabrication of aluminium structures.The shipyard has achieved excellent weight control on these ships right through the build process which resulted in difference between the design weight and actual weight of only about 2 metric tons i.e. a difference of less that 1%. All the vessels delivered have achieved speeds in excess of the contracted speed during sea trials and surpassed the expectations of Indian Coast Guard with regard to the performance requirements.

The primary role of the vessel include fisheries protection and monitoring, patrol within exclusive economic zone (EEZ), coastal patrol, and anti-smuggling, anti piracy and search and rescue operations. The vessels have a secondary role of providing communication link and escorting convoys during hostilities and war time. As per contract worth INR 1500 crore signed in Delhi on 20 October 2010 between Preethi Sudan, joint secretary in the Defence Ministry and Bejoy Bhaskar, Deputy General Manager, Cochin Shipyard Limited, the first ship is to be delivered within 20 months and one every three months thereafter.